Multifunctional Polyethylene Fiber Materials with Passive Radiative Cooling and Photocatalytic Antibacterial Properties

ABSTRACT Flash‐spun polyethylene (PE) nonwovens possess exceptional tensile strength and abrasion resistance, but lack intrinsic radiative cooling and antibacterial properties, limiting their use in thermally and biologically demanding environments. Here, we develop a multifunctional PE nonwoven (PE‐MSZ) by co‐radiation grafting of γ‐methacryloyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (MAPS) onto PE fibers, followed by in situ layer‐by‐layer deposition of silica (SiO 2 ) and zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) coatings, thereby integrating passive radiative cooling with photocatalytic antibacterial functionality. This hierarchical micro‐nano architecture enables PE‐MSZ with high solar reflectivity (90.8%) and strong mid‐infrared emissivity (93.5%), enabling temperature reductions of ∼4.5°C relative to conventional PE under direct sunlight. Moreover, PE‐MSZ exhibits remarkable photocatalytic antibacterial efficiency, achieving 99.9% inactivation of E. coli and B. subtilis under simulated solar irradiation within 120 min. The modified nonwoven also maintains high tensile strength (28.1 MPa), superior abrasion resistance, good washing resistance and breathability, which combine the excellent radiative cooling and antibacterial functionalities, demonstrating great potential for wearable, building‐integrated, and next‐generation multifunctional textile applications.